Road racing hadn't featured in my running resume this year. I had completed a few triathlons over summer, then between March and June I had participated in a sand run, a stair climb and a trail race. Not a single road race in sight. But both my husband and I had a big goal on our bucketlist for 2014: the marathon.

 

In Perth there aren't many choices for road marathons. In 2014 there were three to pick from. One was in June, which I wouldn't be ready for (it was already April when I started looking). The next was August, with a great course, cooler weather and a great fit with my training plan. The last was in October, which would have worked timing-wise but it was located on Rottnest Island. The costs and logistics of getting over there, plus the fact that it was a hilly, windy course, deterred me from entering this race. So August it was - the City to Surf marathon.

 

There was only one slight problem with the timing of this event. In December 2013 I had found cheap flights to Lombok, Indonesia, and I had chosen a random date for us to go away on a holiday. The holiday was booked from the 1st to the 10th of August. The marathon was on the 31st of August. Those first couple of weeks of August would have ideally been my peak training weeks, getting in my longest runs and highest mileage to date. If I was serious about doing my best in this race, I would have to make it work.

 

I bought a couple of running books that included training plans, and combined these with programs I had ripped out of Runner's World magazines to create a hybrid plan that would work for me. I ran only four days a week, which was on the lower end of what was suggested, but included tempo runs, interval training and the weekend long run. I supplemented this one bike ride, one Pump class, two to three kickboxing classes and core work each week. I was hoping that this variety in my routine would help prevent injuries from popping up, as well as lead to improvements in my overall fitness.

 

As our holiday approached I shuffled around my schedule to make sure I could still get in the important runs (i.e. the long runs). The day before we flew out I completed a 32 km run, on mostly flat pavement around the local lake. In Lombok and Bali I ran a total of four times, none longer than an hour (due to heat and humidity) and only one was an interval session. I also trekked up and down a volcano for three days, which was a fantastic cardio and strength workout although the timing wasn't ideal. My legs were sore for days.

 

We arrived home late Sunday afternoon and the first thing I did was head out for a long run. 34 km along the streets with a few small hills thrown in to simulate race conditions. At the end I was exhausted but I felt a great sense of achievement. It was the longest run I had ever completed and gave me confidence that I could finish this marathon. 

 

Unfortunately I picked up a stomach bug in Indonesia. Almost all training runs I went on after coming home had me running to the bathroom. I had to rearrange routes to ensure I passed either my house or a public toilet block often. I would feel fine when I headed out but then the cramps started, and I knew that meant I needed a bathroom as soon as possible. I started to panic about the race. If I couldn't run 5 km without needing the toilet, how could I run 42.2 km? Would all the toilet stops increase my time significantly? Would I even finish? For the three weeks leading up to race day it persisted, and I fretted about what this would mean for my race.

 

Danny decided we should stay in a hotel in the city the night before the race. It would allow us to sleep a little longer and we could walk to the start line with fewer chances of something going wrong. He searched online and found a small hotel that was advertised as "quiet". We should have sued them for false advertising. Our room backed onto a function room, and from about 8 p.m. the loud music started. It continued until well past midnight. We both lay awake for hours, worried about how a lack of sleep would affect our performance the next day. We eventually drifted off in the early morning hours, giving us only a few short hours of rest. Not ideal circumstances for our first marathon.